Our Team

Our Team Members

DEI is a team of highly-skilled, adaptable, service-oriented practitioners with decades of combined experience in computer-based evidence. We have developed the most groundbreaking digital technology to tackle even the most demanding investigation assignments.

Industry Partners

DEI has forged strategic business partnerships with highly-qualified professionals whose services complement ours. Should you require these services, we encourage you to contact the following partners directly:

Community Support

We seek to contribute positively to the London community and surrounding area, and proudly donate to local organizations and charities, focusing on programs that support health issues and youth programs.

Mount Brydges and District Athletic Association
DEI President Steve Rogers coached minor hockey for this program for many years. “Acting as a positive mentor to these children meant a lot to me and I took my role very seriously,” says Steve, whose youngest daughter, Bethany, played on the PeeWee Girls C Competitive team.

Del-Ko Brydge Soccer Association
DEI President Steve Rogers proudly contributed many years to coaching these children. “My kids played soccer for years, and I coached them nearly every year,” says Steve.

Steven Rogers, EnCE, A+, CNA

Steve has 24 years of experience with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and completed his tenure as a Staff Sergeant in charge of the "O" Division Technological Crime Unit.

A recognized leader in Canadian crime investigation, Steve has conducted digital forensics examinations or supervised the analysis of digital evidence in thousands of cases for many criminal and civil matters since 1995.

His expertise includes intellectual property protection, bankruptcy and insolvency cases, digital forensic due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, and trademark, copyright, counterfeit and fraud investigations. Steve has written affidavits, participated in executing search warrants and civil search orders, provided expert evidence in criminal prosecutions, and testified at civil proceedings, all too numerous to count.

Steve created DEI in 2003 and began developing OSCID™, his Occurrence and Serious Crime Investigation Database, in 2004. He is an EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE), recognized by the law enforcement and corporate communities as demonstrating in-depth digital forensics knowledge; an A+ Certified Professional, internationally recognized as a hallmark of computer professionalism and expertise; and a Certified Novell Administrator (CNA), qualified to provide administrative support for a Novell software network.

Steve’s wife and two grown daughters have all inspired him to take up the challenge of participating in duathlon racing. Steve enjoys taking part in a large cycling group with his wife as well as travelling the world with his family; on one of his most recent trips, he and his family rollerbladed through Thailand. Steve also enjoys flying twin-engine aircraft.

James Kirk

Lead Developer and Programmer

James Kirk has been developing digital media since 1996 and has worked with DEI since 2004.

Specializing in database administration, customization, training and support of OSCID™, James implements and monitors e-discovery processes and procedures and ensures reliable and secure remote connectivity for our clients.

James was instrumental in early development of OSCID™ and is its lead developer and programmer. He mentors our team of programmers as they execute his database designs and develop their own ideas.

James holds several industry certifications, including Net+, Security+ and A+. He is also a Microsoft System Engineer, Microsoft Certified Database Administrator and Microsoft Certified Solution Developer. He graduated from triOS College in 2001, earned his Microsoft Certified Trainer designation, and then worked as a professor at triOS for five years. Prior to that, James was an IT Administrator at a digital printing company performing operations on all their electronics.

In his free time, James enjoys playing the guitar and holding recording sessions with his friends.

David Clark

Technical Director

David Clark has 45 years of experience in software development, management, architecture, research, system engineering, marketing, and customer support.

Dave gathered extensive experience at IBM and Research In Motion/BlackBerry before joining DEI in 2014, where he is charged with designing and implementing our evidence collection and police-support data systems and leads our process development.

One of the main programmers of OSCID™, our Occurrence and Serious Crime Investigation Database, Dave has also built the architecture for other DEI products. He was the primary developer of iTAP™, OSCID™ Integrated Ticketing and Permits system. He also wrote and co-designed iSEP™, the international shared element portal intelligence sharing system in OSCID™, and is responsible for its development and maintenance. Dave is experienced in various software languages and industry applications too numerous to mention.

Dave has long been an amateur astronomer. He earned his Master of Science in Astronomy in 2010 and is currently pursuing his PhD in Geophysics (Astronomy), both at Western University. He has co-authored numerous published papers about the cosmos. He also holds an Honours Bachelor of Mathematics in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo, where he also did post-graduate studies in computer science.

Derek MacIsaac

Derek MacIsaac studied computer security and investigations at Fleming College before joining DEI in 2007. He performs and develops tools for digital forensics analysis, programs our digital solutions and trains new DEI employees on cybercrime investigations.

Derek also writes code to preserve open source evidence, which are directly accessed by OSCID™, our integrated case management tool.

A key aspect of Derek’s contribution to the team is researching new solutions or technologies we can implement to stay at the forefront of programming and investigations.

Derek keeps ahead of the curve in terms of procedures and technology in the digital forensics world via social media. He knows when we need to update our platforms and how to implement them to serve our clients.

Much of Derek’s free time is spent with his two children as they pursue their passion for hockey. When he finds free time for himself, he likes to spend it reading, deepening his programming skills through online courses, walking, running, biking and, most of all, rock climbing.

Richard Payne, CPA

Lead Programmer

Richard Payne is one of our main programmers, and was a significant contributor to Version 4 of OSCID™, our Occurrence and Serious Crime Investigation Database.

Rick graduated as a Computer Programmer Analyst from Fanshawe College in 2013, and joined DEI in 2012 while he was still a co-op student, bringing with him his talents for logical thinking, problem solving, and creative innovation.

Rick is a full-stack developer: he builds a database, layers in functionality between its levels, forges a security system and designs the secure graphical user interface (GUI) accessed directly by our clients. He ensures every app is accessible through mobile devices as well as desktops and also performs database maintenance. Rick loves a challenge, such as reflecting and tracking the intuitive process of real-world major crime investigations in a logical, digital format to help crime investigators manage their cases in intuitive, efficient and meaningful ways. He is experienced on languages that include HTML, CSS and MS SQL.

Most of Rick’s personal time is spent with his family, friends and Shih tzu dogs. He enjoys fixing and maintaining computers at home as well as programming micro-controllers to automate things. Rick once wrote code to maintain a terrarium for his leopard gecko; it turns heaters and lights on and off based on temperature and photo sensor readings. He also enjoys getting involved in a good novel now and again.

Shayne Sadler

Brand Protection Analyst

Protecting intellectual property and brand identities are major components of our work, and Shayne helps us to protect brands by searching online for any infringements against our clients’ brand copyrights.

He also conducts other online investigations, performs Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) research, tests client evidence for functionality, and writes reports for clients.

Shayne graduated from Western University with a BA in Media Information and Technoculture in 2014 and worked in Student Services at Western before joining our team in 2016. He loves the challenge of analyzing evidence and always having something new to tackle, as no two DEI cases are the same.

After work, Shayne enjoys playing softball, baseball and hockey and whipping up something delicious in the kitchen.

Denise Copeland

Administrative Assistant

With tremendous attention to detail, reliability, honesty and dedication, Denise Copeland came to us in November 2005 and has proven indispensable ever since.

Denise performs various administrative and client service functions, writes reports and consults on any anomalies. An important part of Denise’s role is database auditing – she reviews our OSCID™ integrated case management database looking for duplicate elements and merges them to reduce clutter so clients can use this unique tool with maximum efficiency.

To perform housekeeping on OSCID™, she copies data and emails it to the database, tidying up any orphan emails and attaching each one to the relevant case file.

In addition, Denise orders our supplies, schedules couriers, reconciles bills to expenses in our database, and provides unfailing support to the team in numerus other ways. She graduated in Office Administration from triOS College in 2005.

In her spare time, Denise enjoys relaxing with family and friends and her three cats, and hosts family dinners most Sundays. Her interests include gardening, dancing, meditation, attending shows to support local musicians, and going on roadtrips with her wife. She helps a few local charities with fundraising and knits scarves to distribute during Aids Awareness Week for the Red Scarf Project, benefitting London’s Regional HIV/AIDS Connection.

Paula Rogers

Business Development Associate

Paula Rogers worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for 20 years policing Nova Scotia and Ontario. She was tasked in various capacities such as general policing, diplomat security, media relations, drug enforcement and Aboriginal liaison. In 2009, Paula retired from the Force to join her husband Steve Rogers’ DEI team to assist with administrative duties, business development and marketing on a part-time basis.

Paula has been married to Steve since 1991. They have two beautiful daughters, Sarah and Bethany. Sarah graduated with Honours in Families and Nutrition from Western University in 2017; Bethany is in Medical Science at Western and hopes to enter Medical School.

Paula enjoys triathlon training, socializing, reading and travelling. She completed her first Ironman Triathlon in 2016. Her favourite activity is exploring fun places with the family on active holidays – hiking and cycling around the globe and staying fit for the next challenge.